To Thread or Not to Thread...

[Random notes]

I have recently come into possession of an older wooden flute in very good condition. This has raised a few questions, the first of which is "How the heck do I play this thing?", but I can accept that I am pretty much on my own with that one.

The questions which I refer to the collective knowledge and wisdom of C&F'ers are these:

1) How should I store this? I don't want to get into the pros and cons of Tupperware, but someday I may wish to carry this to a party and would rather not have people asking if I've brought the salad. I did find an aluminum case w/ layered foam lining which can be cut to shape, but it is made by Halliburton and bears the very Halliburtonish price of $250. For that kind of money I want a case w/ crushed velvet lining and a cover of fine Corinthian leather. The pistol cases I've seen so far all have "egg crate" foam and I dont like the idea of compression and spotty contact on the wood - it just doesn't seem intuitively like a good idea, but I am willing to be convinced otherwise by anyone with experience.

B) The joints are wrapped in thread. It seems to have been done very recently, but one of the joints has a free end which is a bit of a nuisance. How do I handle/care for/replace threading on the joints? Would it be inappropriate to have a profesional cork the joints?

With a flute of this vintage, I feel like I'm not so much the owner as the curator - it has made it this far and should easily outlast me to the joy of others yet to come.

Unless I feeb up royally, of course.

Thaks for your help

Roger

[Jayhawk]

A lot of folks use pistol cases with egg foam. You can always cut into the egg foam to match the shape of your flute...that's what I did with the antique flute I was curator of for some time.

As for the string, is it just a loose end that you can continuously unwind? Check out either Casey Burns' website or Terry McGee's...one of those guys covers winding thread. You could also just wax it well which might hold the end in place...

Congratulations on your purchase!

Any cracks or bad pads? If so, that will make it hard to impossible to play from the point of the crack or bad pad on down (so if the crack is near the E tonehole, E and D and C or C# if your flute has those notes won't play well or at all.

Eric

[GaryKelly]

There's some sound stuff about wrapping tenons here too:

http://www.flutes.fsbusiness.co.uk/tenon.html

[jim stone]

pistol case, keep the thread, the loose end
will stay down with cork grease.

[Random notes]

I appreciate all the help. Searching on "thread" in this forum is pretty useless and I appreciate the patience it takes to help wioth a questions that has been handled many times before.

I tried cork wax on the loose thread to no avail. Someone else clued me to toilet bowl ring wax ring as a source of wax - it is a lot stickier than the microcrystalline stuff, and I'll give that a try. When it comes time to re-wrap, I think I'll try the lacquer method suggested in the Clive Catterall link. The pads are just fine and there is no evidence of cracking.

BTW, the Terry McGee site is incredible - really rich. I don't know how I hadn't found that one before.

I can also pick up a pistol case this weekend. Should there be some provision for humidifying in the case? I live in KY which can be fairly moist, but indoors in the winter desert dry is more typical.

Thanks again

Roger

[artsohio]

Someone else clued me to toilet bowl ring wax ring as a source of wax

Huh? What the heck's that?

I use Carmex. It is lip balm that comes in little metal tins. I like the consistency. Plus I have a lip balm addiction and have to keep some in every room, purse, car, etc. I recently discovered Burt's Beeswax lip stick and it is so wonderful that I won't use Carmex anymore. I've never been able to play flute with anything on my lips until I found Burts. It is so light but full of moisture that my lips remain flexible instead of glooped down with wax.

Anyways, I like Carmex for my threads.

As to a case, if you are good with a needle and thread and your flute is keyless, it is cheap and simple to make a roll. I used quilted material to make a bag then sewed a few simple seams to make slots for the pieces. I left a section for greases, oils, rods, etc. It rolls up and fits in my shoulder bag.

Good luck!

[Jayhawk]

You can buy a small humidifier from the local music store (they make them for guitars, clarinets, etc.) which have this spongy stuff in the middle you wet - just stick it in the case with the flute and you should be set...or, if you're really cheap like me and/or have a small plastic container around the house, you can take a piece of sponge, poke holes in the small plastic container (I used a small plastic pill container) and have about the same thing.

When winter rolls around, I'm guessing Kentucky isn't much different from Missouri where central heating sucks much of the humidity out of the air, so I'm all for a small humidifier in the case.

Eric

[jim stone]

I have a large closed plastic container from walmart where
I store flutes. Cost like five bucks.
I put in a sponge and a humidifier.
I leave the pistol case for when I'm going somewhere.
Also during the winter I have a home humidifier
pumping away, which often keeps the humidity
high enough.

[Random notes]

Quote:
Someone else clued me to toilet bowl ring wax ring as a source of wax

Huh? What the heck's that?

That is an awfully sloppy and poorly edited way of saying something simple (Hey, maybe I should run for President?)

If you are lucky, you will never find out that your toilet bowl sits on a wax ring that seals the porcelain to the waste pipe which is fixed to the floor. The ring is made of a somewhat sticky wax (which can also be used to ease the entry of wood screws in hardwood - I used to have a little cup of it in my toolbox) and someone PM'd me to suggest its use on the string. They are under a buck at any Home Despot or equivalent.

R.

[Doug_Tipple]

I haven't read the links that were given about how to deal with a loose thread on a tenon, and they most likely say something like what I want to suggest. Whenever I want to secure a loose end of thread on a tenon or on a waxed thread wrap on a bamboo flute, I use a small steel needle. Unwind enough of the thread until you are able to thread the needle. Now insert the sharp end of the needle and pull it through a section of the thread wrap. You may need a thimble to push the needle and pliers to pull the needle through the thread wrap, cutting off the excess. Now the end of the thread is securely buried inside the thread wrap.

[Daryl]

Someone else clued me to toilet bowl ring wax ring as a source of wax - it is a lot stickier than the microcrystalline stuff, and I'll give that a try. <Snip>

Thanks again

Roger

I hope they meant a NEW toilet bowl ring as opposed to a used one.



-- Daryl